by Cornelius Swart, KGW

by Cornelius Swart, KGW

PORTLAND â?? Oregon's governor performed CPR on an unconscious woman in downtown Portland on Monday, providing her medical assistance and helping to keep her alive until paramedics could arrive.

KGW television reported that Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber, a former emergency room doctor, stepped in to help save the life of an unconscious woman lying on the ground near Southwest 13th Avenue and Main Street.

Kitzhaber was traveling by car through downtown Portland on his way to dinner around 5 p.m. Monday, May 5, when he noticed a woman on the ground. He ordered his driver to pull over and instructed his security detail to call paramedics, the governor's spokesperson confirmed.

The woman was not breathing when Kitzhaber began to perform CPR. Paramedics took over when they arrived. They took the woman to the hospital and she is expected to live, according to the governor's office.

Kitzhaber's office confirmed the incident but said that Kitzhaber was not available for interview.